Ear and Head pain after surgery!!!

[skamper]

Hi everyone, I haven't been on here in awhile, sorry about that, it's been a crazy summer already at our house!

Has anyone experienced ear and head pain about two months after surgery?  I had my surgery in April and about three weeks ago, started experiencing a really bad head pain in the back on the AN side.  I'm chalking it up to it still being numb for so long.  I'm hoping it's normal and that it's because the feeling is coming back.  My ear is still partly numb but is starting to come back.  I get an ear aches sometimes like an actuall ear ache.  It doesn't usually last long, kinda of throbbing and then goes away. 

I'm hoping someone has had the same type of pain and if there's anything I can do to make it feel better.  An ice pack works wonders at night.  Should I try heat?  I can't take my pain meds during the day since I work, but I still take my pain meds at night.  I feel like I shouldn't be on them anymore, it's been 3 months since surgery today!

I'm just a little frustrated I guess.  Somedays my head throbs so bad I just want to cry.  By the end of my work day all I want to do is go home and take a nap.  That seems to make the headaches go away for awhile.

Any thoughts or suggestions on the head pain would be great.  On the up side, my last appt, the doc said I looked great and my eye closed tightly and my face has no paralize at all 

Thanks everyone for always being here to talk to.
Susan

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Susan ~

Welcome back!  I'm sorry to learn about your head pains and regret that I don't have a solution to offer you but I'm sure other posters will.  My uneducated guess is that the pain you're feeling is healing related.  However, I'm pleased to learn that your doctor says everything looks good and that you have no facial mobility issues. 

Jim

[skamper]

Thanks Jim, I'm hoping it's the healing process too.   The only other surgery I've ever had was on my knee, but it was just arthroscopic, so I just had a little numbness around the holes that were there.  That was nothing compared to this awesome scar!

Hopefully someone might chime in with some advice or thoughts.

Thanks,
Susan

[jaylogs]

I had similar issues, with sharp pains right around the incision line...doc told me that it was just my nerves firing up again. Six months now and no more pain and getting a lot of my feeling back in that area.
Jay

[Shan1014]

Sorry to hear about that.  My surgery was in early March.  Once in awhile I will have shooting pains on my skull where the surgery was but nothing long-term.  They last only about 20-30 seconds.  No ear pain at all but my hearing hasn't been affected much all the way around.  Hope it gets worked out for you.  Keep us posted. 
Shannon

[jennifer7]

Hi Susan
this seems to be the wildest surgery.  I started having regular headaches two months after surgery.  About 4 months post-op I started having ear aches, my local ENT put me on antibiotics last week, the ache is gone but my ear feels ?congested??  I have pressure and my hearing is diminished, what next?
I was putting a hot water bag on my earache, it made it easier for me to sleep.  Good luck with yours
Jennifer

[cin605]

Good news is the presure.pain and fullness are all normal "crap" and as you heal it will get better.Rough road but well traveled.......hang in...and as much as it hurts to move your head..its the best thing for it....back and forth ...as in saying"NO"...and up and down as in YES.
I remeber hearing it actually clog and unclog and various other crackles....i think my head stayed numb for at least six months..best of luck w/ a speedy recovery.One day at a time.
Cindy

[Syl]

Susan:

My earaches are usually accompanied by headaches. My solutions is to apply heat to the back of my neck. Ice packs seem to make the pain worse during a headache. However, I do ice my neck every evening when I don't have headaches. It helps. Tylenol also helps, but I limit that to 2 times/wk. Too much Tylenol can lead to a vicious cycle with rebound headaches.

I've read somewhere that calcium supplements help, too. I don't think it's a coincidence that my heachaches continue to diminish in frequency & that I have been taking calcium cupplements.

Hang in there.

Syl

[skamper]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.  I always seem to feel much better knowing someone else went through the same things.  I do get the whooshing sound in my ear a lot lately.  I was hoping my hearing was coming back    I knew that was to good to be true.  It sounds like there's water in there most of the time, and the buzzing or humming noise, I could do without.
I got sick on Monday with some type of flu bug.  Nasty, I was laid up for three days with fever, chills, and all over body aches.  That was the worse, like my head didn't hurt already and then to add to that!  Just glad that's over.
I think I will try heat tonight when I get home from work for my headache and neck pain.  Maybe that's part of my problem.  It is nice to know that the feeling is everything tyring to return to normal.  What ever normal is now.
I do notice that the AN side has somewhat of a bump in back.  My husband thinks it feels swollen a little.  He wonders if that's where the titanium plate is?  I wish I knew, my next appt is on the 21st..  Hopefully I can hold out till then to ask all my questions.  I need to remember to write them down is my problem.  I get there and say, nope, I'm good.  I guess I just hate to be a bother.
Thanks again everyone for the encouraging words.
Love to all,
Susan

[sues1953]

Hi Susan,

Sorry to drop in late but I don't check this site as often as I use to.  I had surgery 7 weeks ago and just started to have ear aches, sore throat, and weird sensitivity on the top of my head that comes and goes.  I did see my Dr. this past Tuesday and he thought it was most probable that it is regenerating nerves, although the sore throat and ear ache could be a virus.  If it is a virus its different than any one I have ever had    I usually get congestion after a sore throat and if any ear issue its a secondary infection thing.  The sore throat and ear ache are on the AN side and they are lasting over a week now with no other symptoms of a cold.  I still am hoping its just nerves regenerating.  I do seem to have more normal feeling in my outer ear.  The pain is not bad enough to try to treat, it mostly hurts when I am swallowing.

Just though I'd let you know even though we are all different there are similarities and the reassurance we get on this site is helpful 

Here is hoping to feel better!

Sue